The Florida Petition for Child Custody is the form required for Florida residents seeking custody of their children through the court. This petition must be filed in order to obtain a court order for child custody in the state of Florida.

The Florida Petition for Child Custody can be obtained by searching online or through the state court.

This form is to be used for seeking any order of child custody or visitation, whether it is disputed or agreed.

1. First, fill out the case caption information at the top of the form, putting in the court name, the name of the parties, the case number and division number.

2. The petitioner is to enter their name on the next line and indicate how many children this child custody petition will cover.

3. For the first child, enter their name, gender, place and date of birth. Enter the child's place of residence during the last 5 years, providing the address and name of custodian during that time.

4. Enter the same information for any additional children in the next 2 sections. If more than 3 children are to be the subject of your petition, you must also include their information on additional sheets attached to the form.

5. For section 2, indicate whether you have participated in another custody sharing proceeding in Florida or any other state. If you have, you must state the nature of the custody sharing proceeding.

6. For section 3, indicate whether you know of any other pending custody sharing proceedings. If you do know of other pending proceedings, you must state the nature of those proceedings.

7. In section 4, indicate whether another person has or currently has physical custody of the children named in the petition but are not named parties to this petition. If such persons exist, provide their information.

8. In section 5, state whether previous child support proceedings have taken place. If they have, you must provide information about those previous proceedings.

9. Certify that a copy of the petition has been provided to the respondent and state how it was sent to the them.

10. On the final page, certify the petition by signing and dating the form. Provide your contact information.

11. The petition must be certified by a notary, who will provide their information at the bottom of the page.